


the wolf that fell in love with red riding hood

by wartransmission



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Little Red Riding Hood, M/M, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-06
Updated: 2014-04-06
Packaged: 2018-01-18 10:36:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1425421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wartransmission/pseuds/wartransmission
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto was taught not to talk to strangers since he was little, and he understood the reasons for that. It was dangerous when you didn't know someone else's intentions towards you, after all.</p><p>He was never taught to stay away from wolves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the wolf that fell in love with red riding hood

**Author's Note:**

> I tried my best. I hope you enjoy the fic! Also, much love to [princessteddie](princessteddie.tumblr.com) for helping me out along the way. Bless your kind soul, friend! <3
> 
> Note: This fic was inspired by the Vocaloid song [The Wolf Fell In Love With Little Red Riding Hood](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9wdfJKbHa0). Just so you guys know, haha.

He came around every day, right as daylight trickled in through the gaps of the forest's shade. Rin would never have caught him coming at all if he were nocturnal like everyone else, like every monster should be, but he likes to keep himself healthy. It's the only thing that can keep him from going crazy and succumbing to his visceral needs. Sure, it can get annoying at times when he has to skitter through greeneries to keep from being hunted out as a wolf- but he'll live with it. It's a form of exercise on its own.

 

Besides, it's how he found himself watching over this red-hooded person. Rin had wandered deeper into the forest, to the place where he knew safety would be, as odd as it was, and he had found Haru's cottage door being knocked on by the man in the red hood. Haru wasn't really anything special to him, as much as he did keep Rin sane on some days. He was just someone who understood loneliness, so Rin liked him. (Only a little bit, though. Haru could work on his openness.)

 

Rin had intended to take the man up for questioning. The red of his hood was bright, a sharp contrast to the greens of the forest and Haru's cottage walls, and he looked like he just didn't _belong_ \- but he came in through Haru's back door, like he'd always done it before, and Rin could see through the opening provided by the window; Haru was comfortable with him. Haru was annoyed to an extent, certainly, since he didn't like being bothered much, but the other man didn't seem to mind.

 

Haru didn't seem to mind him much, either. He had welcomed the man as though he was always meant to be there. Rin couldn't help from feeling a little jealous, though he'd never admit that out loud. What about him? Where was his place? Where did he belong, after he lost his mother and sister because of his own hideous state? He had thought that he belonged here, since Haru was lonely too- but maybe he wasn't. Maybe Rin assumed that on his own. Maybe Haru was fine all on his lonesome, because he actually had _friends_ who would come over to visit him.

 

Ugh. How _frustrating_. To think that he assumed things all on his own, when Haru might as well have been just pitying him. Stupid. _Stupid_.

 

He had run away then. Just one time, he could permit himself that, couldn't he? Just that one moment, he could let himself run away from the sting of betrayal in his chest.

 

After that moment, he came back. Countless times, he watched and he went, not knowing what his purpose was in observing the red-hooded man. Yet it was there, his curiosity at what the man meant to Haru. It was a human desire, wasn't it? Being curious about something you didn't understand? He never let the other man see him while he was watching over him, though. He always made sure to hide himself in the shades, behind bushes, because god knows what that large man could do to him if he showed himself.

 

As much as he wanted to deny it, as painful as it was to admit it, he wasn't quite human anymore. He hasn't been for four years now. It's miraculous that he remembers the time at all, considering the lack of understanding wolves have for calendars. Animals on the whole don't quite care for dates or time; why would they, when what mattered was their survival? What mattered was that they were alive for another sunrise, another sunset, another moonlit night. There weren't minutes but there was the breeze, the snap of a twig, the crunch of dried leaves under a leather boot.

 

He hated it. He hated living like this, like an animal, but he didn't know how to break the curse. He had no clue. He had no signs, no hints- _nothing_. All he knew was that someone had thought it would fit him to be like this, because of some faulty part of him that they didn't like. What was it? What did he say then? What did he do?

 

Rin tamped his voice down into silence once he realized that he's growling, his teeth unconsciously baring themselves just at the brush of anger in his mind. He sniffed, taking in a whiff of forest scents, until he froze at the smell of something else. Something...baked? Pie, perhaps?

 

He shook his head, his fur making it more difficult and slow a movement, though he ignored it in favor of coming closer to the pathway that was cleared specifically for human usage. Unsurprisingly, he was met with the sight of the red-hooded man from before, his basket of fruits replaced with a basket of what Rin could assume was pie as he walked for Haru’s cottage.

 

He was always smiling. Even at that moment, he was smiling, like…like he had to. Rin didn’t understand it. It was annoying, and it pissed him off, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. It was childish to be angry with someone just because they chose to smile for reasons of their own, but this sort of thing just didn’t sit well with him. To think, this kind of person was taking care of a recluse like Haru, when it seemed like he needed to be taken care of as well…

 

Rin bit back a snarl when he felt the churning in his stomach. He hadn’t eaten for so long that his own body was complaining to remind him of his hunger. There wasn’t another animal sight, most of them fearing the pathway because of the humans that used it, and Rin couldn’t find it in himself to fault them for their instinctual fear. Humans themselves were something to fear, far more than animals.

 

That didn’t change anything. He was hungry. He was still so hungry, and the only meat that his nose could smell was so close, his feet having moved on their own to follow the red-hooded man as he walked down the dirt road.

 

He was hungry. His teeth glinted under the slithers of light seeping through tree gaps as he thought of sinking canines into flesh and bone, thinking of how the metallic tang of blood would touch his tongue, thinking of how delicious it would be- but he can’t. He can’t. He can’t.

 

He ran away for the second time, but for the other person’s sake instead of his own. He stayed away for days, those days creeping into weeks, not wanting a repeat of what had happened in that moment. He made sure to hunt rather than starve himself, lest he harm someone like him, a human. (But what difference was there in killing a human or an animal? What made it different? What made one justified over the other?)

 

Yet he continued to watch again, once he felt that his hunger was sated. He continued to watch over the red-hooded man visiting Haru almost every day, except for every sixth and seventh day where he felt that Haru could be alright on his own. His name was Makoto, Rin had heard once, when the red-hooded man left Haru’s cottage.

 

“ _Makoto_ ,” Haru had said, his blue eyes oddly brighter as he looked up at the man he had called to. “ _Be careful_.”

 

“ _I know, Haru_ ,” Makoto had said in reply; his smile, if Rin could see it, most likely an amused one. “ _That’s why I only come during mornings, remember?_ ”

 

And so, Makoto left, his back turned enough that he couldn’t see Haru’s dimly concerned gaze. Rin didn’t know what to think at having caught that look, though it’s not like it mattered. At least, he thought that it didn’t.

 

Haru looked at him then, his blue eyes boring into red ones despite the barrier that the bushes provided him. Rin had growled in response, annoyed at being caught, though that sound was cut short when Haru narrowed his gaze at him.

 

“ _I know that you’ve been watching_ ,” Haru had told him, not at all attempting to come near where Rin was hiding. Rin’s ears twitched at being acknowledged and he raised his head, letting his own red eyes stare into blue depths. “ _You won’t hurt him_.”

 

“ _And what makes you think I won’t?_ ” He would have said, his tone snarky if he were still human. But he wasn’t. He could only make a snarling sound at Haru’s words, hoping his disbelief at the idea could be communicated. The frown on Haru’s lips told Rin that it wasn’t, which didn’t surprise him much. It wasn’t like they’ve ever been on the same wave length, unless it came to things like hunting fish or anything else that involved competition. [Rin didn’t even like fish, but he had to entertain himself somehow.]

 

“ _You won’t,”_ Haru assured him. His words were still enigmas that Rin couldn’t even think to decipher, if only because he’d just hurt his own head with thinking about it. He didn’t offer a response to Haru’s words, though it seemed like he didn’t have to when Haru went back into his cottage without warning.

 

Tch. He’d always been a rude guy.

 

=========

 

He didn't think that there would ever come a time that Makoto would be the one to confront him. Though, thinking back on it, confront is probably not the right word. Makoto, as large as he was, barely looked like he could handle blood.

 

"Uh, nice wolf," Makoto had muttered, looking paler by the minute as Rin set the dead rabbit he'd gotten for breakfast down on the grassy floor. It wasn't like he could handle a little dirt on his food, considering how animals in general were already pretty unsanitary on their own. (Haru would probably scoff at him, though for good reason. He'd be getting further away from his humanity if he completely disregarded the cleanliness of his food.)

 

He stepped closer, just to be a little shit. Makoto whimpered, fingers growing white by the knuckles as he gripped his basket of fruits closer. "I'm really no good, I promise, please don't eat me," he said, voice coming out high-pitched and shaky.

 

Wow. So this was why the guy was always early to visit Haru. He wouldn't last a second in the forest when night came. Despite how muscled he seemed to be under his hood, it was like- no, it's _definitely_ true- he couldn't handle hurting a fly.

 

Well, he could forgive him that. Not everyone is born brave, and if he were....well, it's likely that he'd have ended up where Rin was. Brash, brave, and cursed to live out his life as a wolf because he had unknowingly taken up a witch's bet. But he pulled through- he’s _pulling through_ \- because he still has his family, who were most likely out there and still searching for him. He felt a pang in his chest at the thought of it, and he bit back a sound of complaint. He’d come back to them someday.

 

He growled, the sound low and soft enough to be non-threatening. Makoto blinked at the sound, confused, to which Rin rolled his eyes and nodded his head to the pathway leading to Haru's cottage.

 

"Ah," Makoto breathed out, the relief still stuck somewhere in his chest as he looked to where the wolf nodded at. "You're letting me go?"

 

Rin nodded. He was aware that it was an odd action coming from something wild and from the woods- but it seemed like Makoto didn't care. Rather, he looked relieved. What a weird guy.

 

"Thank you so much," Makoto whispered in a rush of relief. "Um, do you eat fruits, maybe? As...as payment, I guess, for letting me go. You're very kind despite how hungry you seem to be," he said in a murmur as he nervously glanced at the rabbit corpse behind Rin.

 

Rin scoffed in response, which didn't translate very well in wolf language. It sounded like an odd sneezing sound, and it elicited a tiny laugh from Makoto, who was minutes ago quivering in his boots. "S-sorry," he choked out, a hand covering his mouth as he hid a smile. "I guess not, huh? Maybe I could come around again and bring some meat for you?"

 

Rin's ears twitched, standing on alert at the thought of being given meat. Makoto laughed good-naturedly. "It makes sense that you'd prefer meat," he said, a kind smile on his face as the stiffness in his shoulders disappeared nigh instantly. Wasn't he scared a few minutes before? More importantly, wasn't he feeling at all weird with talking to an animal? What was up with this guy?

 

But he was going to bring him meat. Rin was finding it difficult to complain.

 

"You're him, aren't you? The wolf that visits Haru," Makoto said after a beat of a moment. Rin immediately turned his head up at the statement, and internally cursed himself for being so obvious. He could have tried to have some semblance of self-control, at least! "Eh, you don't have to be embarrassed," Makoto said as he waved a hand in dismissal at Rin's answering growl. He only laughed at the threatening snarl building up from Rin’s chest, though he did keep himself at a safe distance still. Rin couldn’t tell if he was naïve, that sort of guy who thought that everyone could be his friend, or if he was just extremely stupid. There was a thin line between those two sorts, now that he thought about it.

 

Makoto added, because he obviously didn’t care that he was talking to a wild animal, "Haru likes your company, as much as he doesn't say it. I'm really grateful that you're watching over him."

 

Rin tried to make a huffing sound in response, but it came out as another wolfish sneeze. He growled low in his throat in annoyance. Makoto laughed again, having forgotten his fear in favor of taking amusement out of a wolf's attempt at human communication. "It's just- really cute," Makoto said through a [faux] coughing fit. "I'm really sorry for being amused at your expense, um..." his voice trailed away, his gaze hesitantly looking over Rin's body as though he'd find an answer to the unspoken question.

 

His name. Which wasn't on any collar, obviously. He's not a dog, or anyone’s pet.

 

He stepped forward, intending to go to the dirt road, but paused when he noticed Makoto backing away in response, his shoulders tense as he watched Rin come closer.

 

Alright, maybe he wasn’t so stupid after all.

 

He made a sound that was a cross between a sneeze and a sniff, which sounded odd when he described it like that, though it wasn’t like it was his fault that a wolf’s vocal chords could only be limited to certain sounds. He couldn’t exactly laugh in his state, could he? He shook his head before continuing on his way to the dirt road, before pausing and turning his head to look at Makoto. He gestured with his head for him to come closer, even though there was a portion of him that argued that Makoto probably wouldn’t come an inch closer at all. He was still scared, somewhere deep inside his mind, even though he was talking so cheerfully to Rin earlier. His instincts knew that Rin was a wolf, at least.

 

Makoto hesitated, hands tightly clenched around his basket’s handle, though he eventually came closer. That smile- the fake smile that Rin has noticed long ago- was on his face as he stopped by Rin’s side.

 

(He wondered, idly, what it would feel like if he could get rid of that fake smile once and for all. He wondered what it would feel like to have a genuine smile from him.)

 

He raised his paw and patted at the ground, making sure that it was soft enough to write on, before he raised his paw again and stated writing the kanji for his given name. He’d made sure, even with the years that he was stuck like this, to keep his mind and what he’d learned as a human intact. He wrote on dirt grounds when he could, just like how he was doing so now, to keep himself from forgetting his mother tongue.

 

He froze just as he finished pawing the last line of his name, his eyebrows furrowing- or they would be, if he had any that were visible- as he remembered something important.

 

Wouldn’t this sort of thing lead to him being caught and kept as a pet? Didn’t humans adore stuff like this? He stifled the growl that was starting to cause his chest to vibrate. How could he have been so stupid? He was caught up in Makoto’s naivety that he himself forgot to think of the consequences of his actions.

 

“Ah, so it’s Rin,” Makoto mumbled as he crouched down, his basket safely fit in between his legs and chest as he leaned over to look. Rin growled at the sudden proximity and Makoto flinched, both of his hands clenching around the basket handle as he looked at Rin in apprehension.

 

Rin felt his own ears flatten on top of his head as he realized what he’d done. He hadn’t meant to intimidate Makoto like that. It was his own fault that he forgot himself. “Oh,” Makoto blinked, looking at Rin with wide, questioning eyes. “Does that mean you didn’t mean to..?” He said as he cocked his head in question at Rin’s sudden change in demeanor.

 

Rin nodded, as dumb as it made him feel. Makoto took a moment to digest his answer before he sighed in relief, a hand coming up to lie flat on his chest as he breathed out. “Well, that’s good,” Makoto said, a more genuine smile on his face as he stood up and dusted himself off with one hand, the other hand occupied with the basket. “I wouldn’t want you to run away just because I got too close.”

 

“ _I wouldn’t run away,”_ Rin thought to himself in a soft whine, which earned him another amused laugh from Makoto.

 

“I don’t think you’re the type to run away though,” Makoto agreed unknowingly, an amused smile on his face as he turned his gaze to Rin. “I’ve already heard so many stories from Haru, after all. You’re not the type to run from anything, right?”

 

Rin was trying his hardest not to raise an eyebrow at the thought that Haru would talk about him at all, though that was a futile effort. Makoto hid another bout of quiet laughter with his hand as he shook his head, having noticed Rin’s disbelief at the very notion of Haru talking about him. “You noticed that I exaggerated, huh?” He paused after a moment, frowning as he rubbed at his chin in thought, before he gasped in realization.

 

“I’ve just noticed, it’s pretty weird that I’m talking to you like this, isn’t it?” Makoto said, looking down at Rin as he propped his basket by his hip. Rin made a small snuffling sound in agreement, hoping to some higher being out there that Makoto could read his face. (” _No fucking kidding, man. It’s been a few minutes and I’m still wondering why you’re taking this so casually.”)_

 

“I must’ve gotten used to Haru not responding much,” Makoto mused as he rubbed at his chin with his thumb and index finger. “Actually, you respond a lot more than he does. Unless we’re talking about water, obviously. He talks a lot then.” He smiled at what Rin guessed was a memory of Haru. “I don’t mind, but it gets a bit awkward too, you know? Ah- but I should really get going,” Makoto whispered in a panic, lowering the hand that had been keeping the basket up by his hip. “The pie is already getting cold since I was talking to you for so long, Rin,” Makoto moaned, looking mournfully at the basket in his hands.

 

Rin dismissed the sudden irregularity of his heartbeat at the sound of his name being called. Makoto looked over to him and smiled, that sort of smile that Rin could tell meant, “I caught you, what now?”

 

He growled in warning and Makoto grinned, before gesturing with a finger to Rin’s back. Rin made a confused whining sound before he turned his head curiously, his whole body freezing in shock once he realized that Makoto had been pointing at his wagging tail, which he hadn’t even noticed was moving until Makoto pointed it out to him.

 

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” Makoto said teasingly, grinning even as Rin snarled at him out of embarrassment. Somehow, after that little period of humiliation on Rin’s part, it seemed like Makoto lost a bit more of his fear towards him. In a way, it was good…but still. Did he have to pay it off with his pride?

 

“It’s really cute, so it’s fine,” Makoto assured him needlessly, his smile quivering around the edges as he kept himself from laughing. Rin couldn’t it find it in himself to complain or snarl about Makoto’s childish glee at having caught his body betraying his feelings, as much as he did want to. It felt a little like ruining something good if he pointlessly whined about small things like that, anyway.

 

“I’ll see you around, Rin,” Makoto bid him in place of goodbye, his smile becoming a little wider when Rin turned to look at him with a nod.

 

(He’s pretty sure his body betrayed him again at that point too, but he wasn’t going to look back and check on his tail. It wasn’t real unless he saw it, right?)

 

(Right. Of course he’s right.]

 

======

 

“So, Rin,” Makoto began, looking oddly suspicious as he turned his gaze up to the trees with one hand idly scratching at his cheek. “Were you taught to write by someone?”

 

Rin paused in his chewing at that question. Well, technically, someone did teach him to. It was just that he learned everything else on his own, like how to write his own name. He couldn’t tell Makoto that, though, could he? He wasn’t exactly in a state to tell anyone anything. Instead, he nodded as an answer, to which Makoto smiled.

 

“You’re really smart, it’s amazing,” Makoto muttered in awe, looking to Rin with eyes that were this (and this is where he would close his index and thumb finger together, if he had any) close to becoming glittering orbs of god knows what kind of green gems. Rin whined to himself, annoyed at the reminder that his being turned into an animal didn’t change who he was. Which it shouldn’t. _Still_. He didn’t have to be sappy for a guy. Granted, Makoto was the first person who’s ever treated him normally like this, because Haru doesn’t count since he’s a complete recluse that wouldn’t know societal norms until Makoto whined in his face about it.

 

He had a right to be sappy. Just a teensy bit. Makoto was pretty sappy himself, anyway.

 

“I guess all those times that you were watching over me were to keep me safe, huh?” Makoto said in a far too innocent tone, a soft smile on his face when Rin turned to look at him in alarm. “I noticed, you know. I wouldn’t be able to survive in the forest if I couldn’t notice something as large as you.”

 

“ _That is true_ ,” Rin thought to himself as he nodded his head. Makoto’s smile brightened at that and he turned his gaze away again, probably to let Rin have some privacy as he chewed on the deer meat that had been brought for him.

 

“I was actually scared before, since I didn’t know if you wanted to eat me then,” Makoto admitted. Rin turned his gaze up, noticing the sheepish smile on Makoto’s face even with the odd angle because of his height as a wolf and Makoto’s inherent tallness. “You were   a bit creepy, following me around like that.”

 

Rin made a little growling sound at the very concept, and Makoto laughed. “Yeah, I know. You probably just knew me through Haru, and decided to follow me because you were curious.”

 

Rin blinked at that, surprised that Makoto was so spot on with his guess. Makoto turned to look at him just as he finished swallowing a bite of venison, his own eyes blinking wide open as he seemed to have understood something. “I got it right?” He asked.

 

“ _Just a bit_ ,” Rin agreed with a minute nod. Makoto grinned, appearing proud of himself as he turned his gaze away again. Rin wanted to complain a bit, wanted to ask Makoto to look at him, but then he remembered Makoto’s initial reaction to seeing him eat rabbit meat.

 

Yeah, probably not a good idea to let Makoto watch while he’s eating.

 

“You and Haru probably get along better, huh Rin?” Makoto asked with a little tilt of his head. “He doesn’t like it when I talk so much, but you’re not like that. You’re smart too. You understand what I’m saying even though you’re not,” he trailed off in his words, before coming back with, “human.”

 

Rin made a small sound then, something like a cross between a whine and a whimper. Makoto didn’t mean it in a bad way. He didn’t even know the truth; he was just making a simple observation of Rin’s behavior. He knew that, but the reminder that he was stuck where was hurt. “ _I am human_ ,” Rin wanted to scream, to yell to the forest. But Makoto couldn’t understand that, could he? As helpful a guy as he was, he wasn’t a wizard. He was normal. Unlike Rin.

 

“Hey, you okay?” Makoto asked him, daring to turn his head even when he knew that Rin’s face would be splashed with blood from eating into a deer’s meat. Makoto winced at the sight but didn’t say anything about it, didn’t back away as he reached a hand out to touch him. Rin wanted to bite him, wanted to blame him for everything- but Makoto didn’t do anything wrong. He let another small whimper escape, another sign of weakness, and it was sign enough that Makoto could touch him, somehow. Makoto continued to reach out, oddly determined as he set a gentle hand on Rin’s head. “It’s fine, Rin,” Makoto whispered, voice so soft and soothing that Rin couldn’t help from letting another whine escape in complaint- at the world, at the witch that cursed him, at himself. “It’s fine. You’re okay,” Makoto continued to murmur as he shifted closer, turning his whole body around so he could face Rin. He ignored the blood and guts sitting right in front of him through sheer will power as he reached out with both hands, using them to lightly ruffle the fur of Rin’s cheeks.

 

“I don’t know what’s wrong, but I’m here for you. Alright?” Makoto assured him, his smile so kind and gentle that it sent a pang through Rin’s chest. It reminded Rin of family, of his mother’s sweet smile and Gou’s warm embrace, and he wanted, so badly, to cry. He wanted to give in, for a moment. Just for a moment.

 

He wanted to let it go. Those heavy feelings on his back, the thought that he was still human and humans did this, humans didn’t do that- he wanted to forget. He just wanted everything to stop, if only for a moment. He wanted to be no one. He wasn’t Rin the human. He didn’t want to be.

 

(Being human had led him to his ruin in the first place, didn’t it?)

 

He got up, ignoring Makoto’s surprise as he padded over to him, making Makoto turn enough so that the venison wouldn’t get in the way. He let his feet move on their own and he found himself stepping closer, his paws stopping in front of Makoto’s crossed legs, and he watched (almost like he were an outsider, like his soul had left him for a moment and he was watching his body move on its own) as his body gave in, his head tilting down so that he could nuzzle Makoto’s cheek without wiping any blood on his face.

 

“Oh, Rin,” Makoto murmured, sounding so much like Rin’s mother that it elicited a pained whine from him, made him nuzzle further into Makoto until his head was leaning against Makoto’s shoulder. “I’m here for you,” Makoto whispered, warm hands running through Rin’s fur as he held Rin close. “I promise.”

 

======

 

 

“Since when were the two of you close?” Haru asked Makoto once, when Rin had settled himself across Makoto’s lap as though he were some sort of makeshift bed. They were around a campfire that Haru had lit, all because Makoto had pleaded with him to make one so that they could have roasted marshmallows.

 

“A few days ago, maybe?” Makoto answered, unsure, even as he lowered a hand to run it through Rin’s fur. Rin rumbled appreciatively at the gentle touch, his chest vibrating against Makoto’s legs, and Makoto laughed. He turned his gaze up to Haru, something teasing in his smile as he said, “Is Haru jealous?”

 

“As if,” Haru grumbled, turning his head away as he moved his marshmallow-on-a-stick closer to the fire. “I don’t see a reason to be jealous.”

 

“You want to touch his fur too, don’t you?” Makoto said, a sly grin on his face as he pulled away his own marshmallow from the fire, before holding it in front of Rin’s face. Rin sniffed at it on instinct before looking up to Makoto, who nodded at him with a smile. He ate the marshmallow without hesitance at the permissive nod and chewed, slowly, before nuzzling back into Makoto’s warmth. He was a wolf anyway, so these sorts of affectionate gestures should be fine. (Plus, it made Makoto stupidly happy whenever he did it, so he wasn’t going to stop just yet.)

 

“I don’t want to touch his fur,” Haru mumbled, looking annoyed as he turned his narrow-eyed gaze at Makoto. Rin made a small sneezing sound once he noticed it (it was supposed to be a huff, damn it), instantly baring his fangs when Haru openly glared at him.

 

“Don’t be like that, Haru,” Makoto whined as he petted Rin’s head to soothe him. “You’ll hurt his feelings.”

 

“I don’t care,” Haru said as a rejoinder, squinting at Rin when Rin stared at him in challenge. “He’s annoying.”

 

“That attitude is why he won’t let you touch his fur, you know,” Makoto said with a sigh of exasperation.

 

“And I _said_ that I don’t want to touch it,” Haru retorted, irritated as he folded one arm over his stomach.

 

“Liar,” Makoto huffed, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he smoothed down the fur of Rin’s back. He lowered the hand that was holding onto the stick to his side to feel for the plastic bag of marshmallows, before he turned to look once he felt the plastic crinkling flatly under his hand. “I knew getting the half-empty bag wouldn’t be enough,” Makoto sighed as he held up the empty plastic bag, before handing over his stick to Haru. “I’ll go get more marshmallows, Haru.”

 

“Get the chocolate and biscuits too,” Haru told him. Makoto brightened up nigh instantly at the thought of chocolate and nodded, looking ready to go, until he remembered that there was a wolf on his lap.

 

“Rin,” Makoto said, using one hand to push at Rin’s side. Rin made a whining noise in question when he looked up and Makoto smiled, before gesturing to the plastic bag in his other hand. “We’re out of marshmallows. I’m going to go get some, so could you get off me please?”

 

Rin made a snuffling sound but did as asked, all while looking annoyed at having his makeshift bed moving away from him. It wasn’t like he had to get the marshmallows now, was it? He could have let Rin rest a bit.

 

“Haru, Rin,” Makoto said, voice firm despite his amusement at seeing Haru and Rin raising their eyebrows at him in question. “Play nice, alright? I’ll be right back.”

 

Rin shook his head at the idea, though he only did so once Makoto was out of sight. He raised his head, trying to be discreet in checking for Haru’s reaction, though it would seem that he didn’t have to be. Haru was looking intently at him, his lips in a firm line as he stared at Rin. It was almost as if he were angry- jealous, perhaps? Rin grinned, showing off sharp teeth as he regarded Haru.

 

“He’s not yours, Rin,” Haru muttered, not at all affected by the show of teeth. He lowered his gaze to the fire as he pulled out his sufficiently roasted marshmallow from the heat. He didn’t bother to gauge Rin’s reaction as he slowly started to eat- though what would be the point? Why would anyone want to figure out the reaction of an animal like him?

 

And yet, Rin couldn’t help himself. He growled in warning, his teeth bared even when he knew that Haru wasn’t looking at him. Who was he to say that Makoto wasn’t his?

 

“Makoto isn’t mine either,” Haru said after a while, slowly turning his gaze up until his eyes met Rin’s. “You’re an animal, so I don’t expect you to understand,” Haru said and Rin tensed, feeling his heart throb hot and heavy in his chest at the reminder. “Makoto isn’t something to be owned. He isn’t anyone’s.” He looked at Rin and it felt different- it wasn’t just him observing Rin, it was Haru looking _into_ him and it made him feel naked, helpless, just like how he’d felt when he first realized that he wasn’t human anymore.

 

He felt _weak_.

 

(It scared him. It scared him so much, how such simple words could make him feel so sick with himself.)

 

Makoto returned to the sight of Rin curled on the floor, almost as if he were trying to form a cocoon around himself, his body turned away from Haru. Makoto had looked up then, his gaze meeting with Haru’s, who responded with a shrug to his unspoken question. “Really,” Makoto sighed, just as he settled himself on the space beside Rin. He reached out, running a hand through Rin’s fur to assure himself that Rin was fine. Rin snuffled in response with his eyes still closed, though he unfurled himself under Makoto’s hand.

 

“He needed a reality check,” Haru offered as an answer, solemn and sincere in tone as he took the bag of marshmallows and chocolate from Makoto’s hands. He didn’t explain what Rin needed a reality check for. He didn’t have to.

 

“You don’t have to be so jealous, though,” Makoto murmured, lips pursed as he eyed Haru, who was already busy with poking marshmallows on two sticks.

 

“I wasn’t jealous of you,” Haru said, looking right at Makoto as he handed him his stick.

 

Makoto smiled sadly in response, his eyes not meeting Haru’s as he propped his elbow on his knee, his wrist lowered as he set the marshmallow close enough to the fire for it to roast. He didn’t say anything and Haru didn’t comment on it, letting the silence envelop the three of them as they waited for their marshmallows to roast.

 

(“ _I didn’t say that you were_ ,” Makoto didn’t say, but Haru understood anyway.)

 

========

 

“I’m Matsuoka Rin,” the stranger with red eyes said as an introduction when Makoto met him, his grin wide and his teeth sharp as he shook Makoto’s hand.

 

“He’s...a distant relative,” Haru said when Makoto turned to him with a questioning gaze. Makoto bit the inside of his cheek when he noticed that Haru wasn’t looking at him, but didn’t say anything to refute his words. “He’s going to stay here for a while,” Haru added, turning his gaze back up to Makoto then, as though trying to assure him that there was a purpose for his little lie.

 

“Well, okay,” Makoto nodded in hesitant acceptance, smiling as he squeezed Rin’s hand in his. He swallowed, trying not to notice Rin’s lingering fingers sliding across his palm. It was familiar, this warmth that he felt he was already acquainted with- but that’s odd. It’s also improbable, since it’s the first time he’s met Rin. “Nice to meet you, Matsuoka-kun,” he said, holding back the urge to ask if he knew Rin, Makoto’s Rin, the wolf that Makoto had spent his past few weeks with who disappeared without warning.

 

“Nice to meet you too- though there’s really no need with formalities,” Rin told him. “I’m fine with being called Rin.”

 

“If you’re sure, Rin,” Makoto said with a sheepish smile, squeezing his hand into a fist as he lowered it to his side.

 

“And it’ll be fine if I call you Makoto, right?” Rin asked, though it seemed like he was prepared to call him that even without Makoto’s express permission. Like he’d already been told that he could a long time ago, like he knew Makoto far longer than he let on, though that was an odd thought in itself. It’s the first time that he’s ever met Rin- _this_ Rin, and it’s stupid to even think of comparing him to Makoto’s Rin.

 

“Y-yeah, of course,” Makoto told him with a smile and a nod.

 

“That’s good. I’ve been told that you had another Rin around here too,” Rin said, making Makoto tense up in surprise at the non sequitur. Still, Rin continued, “Haru isn’t much of a talker, but I figured that it was my Rin.” Makoto blinked at those words, subtly wiping his palms against his hood as he offered Rin a questioning smile. “Wolf? A bit cold when you first met him? He’s pretty loyal when it comes down to it. Somewhat protective too.”

 

“Oh? So you know him? You’ve seen him?” Makoto found himself asking, successfully quelling the tremor in his voice as he tried to force his thoughts to come to a standstill. “He hasn’t been around in a while, I was getting worried…”

 

“He’s probably out there, looking for a mate,” Rin offered as an answer, a wide grin on his lips when Makoto looked at him with a flustered and bemused expression. “It’s mating season around this time, didn’t you know? He probably won’t be back for a long time, sorry to say,” Rin said with a weary sigh. “It isn’t easy work making a pack.”

 

“You’re talking like you’ve experienced it for yourself, Rin,” Haru said, reminding Makoto that he was there, and that he had gotten closer to Rin in the midst of his interrogation of Rin- _his_ Rin’s whereabouts. Makoto took a step back then, smiling when Rin sent an amused look his way.

 

“It’s the same as making any family, you know,” Rin retorted, one brow raised as he regarded Haru.

 

“Not fully,” Haru mumbled, squinting at Rin, before he shook his head and headed for the kitchen.

 

“Still rude even with you here, huh?” Rin told him, glancing at Makoto.

 

“Huh?” Makoto said none too intelligibly, blinking at Rin when Rin laughed at his response. “I don’t- what do you mean?”

 

“It’s nothing, just an inside joke,” Rin said with a dismissive wave of his hand. He smiled, sweet and warm and kind, and Makoto tried not to put a hand to his chest to affirm the irregular thump-thumping in the space inside his ribs where his heart would be. “I’ll be here for a while, since I’m not sure if my mom and sister are still living in the same place,” he explained.

 

“I could help you with finding them, if you want?’ Makoto offered with a gentle smile of his own.

 

Rin shook his head and subsequently bit his lip, having noticed Makoto visibly deflate at having his offer rejected. “Trust me, it’s not you. It’s just that…I want to find them on my own. You know?” He said, turning his head enough to be able to look at Makoto properly.

 

“I suppose,” Makoto mumbled.

 

“It’s like how you want to find your Rin,” Rin said, surprising a flush of pink out of Makoto’s cheeks as he laughed in amusement. “I was the one who taught him to write his name, actually.”

 

“Then,” Makoto said, coughing as a distraction from his previously flushed state, “his name has the same kanji as yours?”

 

”Yeah, actually. Look,” Rin said, raising a hand as an assuring gesture, “I’m not looking to replace anyone here. Still, my hair is pretty open for you to pet in case you feel like it. It’s almost as soft as wolf’s fur, though not as fluffy.”

 

Makoto laughed at the bizarre offer, a hand coming up to cover his mouth as he felt himself quiver because of sheer amusement. “Th-that’s a really great offer, Rin, but I don’t think-”

 

“It’s really fine, come on,” Rin insisted, grinning as he lowered his head and took Makoto by the wrist, raising Makoto’s hand before setting it over his hair. “Just touch it. Trust me, it’s fine.”

 

“This is really weird,” Makoto said, smiling even as he began to gently stroke Rin’s hair.

 

“I agree,” Haru drawled as he returned from the kitchen, his expression an unamused one even as Makoto pulled his hand away from Rin’s grasp. “Stop bothering Makoto, Rin.”

 

“It’s fine, he’s just trying to be,” Makoto hesitated, the corners of his lips twitching into a smile as he eyed Rin, “friendly.”

 

“That pause is questionable, Makoto,” Rin huffed, though there was a hint of amusement in his eyes when he looked up at him.

 

“Are you kids?” Haru muttered, annoyed, though that annoyance turned into suspicion when Rin started coming closer to him. “What are you doing?”

 

“You just want in on the fun, admit it,” Rin teased, grinning as he crept closer, both of his hands open and in front of him as he flexed his fingers.

 

“No, I don’t,” Haru bit out, looking irritated as he backed away with each step forward that Rin took.

 

“Eh, are you sure, Haru?” Makoto said as he followed after Rin, grinning when he caught Haru’s betrayed expression sent his way. “You looked like you wanted to join us earlier.”

 

“You’re wrong- stop!” Haru yelped as soon as Rin got him from the side, the attack made easier because of Makoto’s unintentional redirection of Haru’s attention. “What are you-!” He yelped again when Makoto joined in, a light pink spreading on his cheeks as Makoto used his hands to tickle right along his sides.

 

It didn’t take long before Haru caved and laughed, Makoto’s nimble fingers tickling along his armpits having been the cause of his downfall. “Idiots,” Haru huffed as soon as he got a hold of himself, grunting in annoyance when Makoto and Rin laughed in response, all while sandwiching him in between them as though he were some sort of plush toy.

 

It was a weird sort of family, not exactly something anyone would regard as normal in any way because of the oddity in composition- but Makoto was happy with it, as much as he didn’t know it yet.

 

 

 

 

=======

 

“It’s still the same, right?” Rin asked Haru once Makoto had left for his parents’ home. Makoto had promised that he would be back after two days’ time, apparently having been tasked by his parents to watch over his siblings while they went for a village gathering.

 

“What’s the same?” Haru asked, brows furrowed as he tried to think of what Rin was talking about.

 

“Makoto isn’t mine,” Rin said, smirking, showing off gleaming white teeth as he leaned against the open doorway. “And he isn’t yours.”

 

“That’s right,” Haru agreed, hesitant as he tried to understand where Rin was going with what he was saying. Rin had been bewildered at the very concept before, of not being allowed to get what he wanted, and Haru wasn’t certain that Rin completely understood it now despite how he was already a human.

 

“He could be, though. Mine or yours,” Rin said casually. He laughed when he caught Haru’s angry look. “What? I’m not an animal anymore, Haru. I’ve already freed myself from that curse.”

 

“And you think I’d let you decide on something like that alone?” Haru said, blue eyes glinting with a ferociousness that was unlike him. He breathed in, slow and steady; exhaled, before shaking his head. Rin raised an eyebrow at the whole process but didn’t say anything. “I won’t allow that. Makoto isn't a thing to be owned."

 

"You think I didn't know that?" Rin scoffed. "I'm just saying, one of us could be more to him. I think you're smart enough to understand what I mean when I said that he could be mine- or yours," Rin remedied with a put-out sigh. "You're as much a jealous guy as I am, I noticed."

 

"That doesn't mean that I want to trouble Makoto with these sorts of things," Haru argued. "You know how he is, Rin. He'll only hurt himself in trying to choose between the two of us."

 

"Are you that much of a martyr that you won't tell him how you feel just because you don't want him to be troubled? That's stupid, even for you," Rin said. He laughed, the sound tasting like acid in his mouth when he noticed Haru fuming in spite of his inclination to aloofness.

 

"You wouldn't say that if you really loved him," Haru retorted, his fists clenched by his sides as he looked straight into Rin's eyes.

 

"And I'm telling you, not everyone loves the same way as you," Rin replied, scratching at his nape with an annoyed sigh.

 

"That's not the point," Haru grumbled, looking like he was grasping at straws to keep himself from losing control. Rin hid a laugh at the idea that he could cause such a reaction so effortlessly. "I won't let you do anything stupid."

 

“Yeah? What are you going to do to stop me?” Rin asked with a grin, something wild in his eyes as he regarded Haru. He was far more an animal now than when he actually was one, Haru thought, though that might have been how Rin had broken the curse in the first place. For a brief moment, Haru regretted ever letting him into his home.

 

“Nothing,” Haru said, shaking his head minutely before he turned away to head for his room.

 

“That’s it? You aren’t going to make another cryptic speech about not letting me have him?” Rin called out after him. He had an eyebrow raised in disbelief when Haru looked back at him, his befuddlement that Haru would leave it at that written all over his face. But Haru wasn’t leaving it as it was, not really. He just didn’t feel like prolonging an argument with someone so childish, considering how he’d surely lower himself to Rin’s level if he played along.

 

“Better to have the wolf in my home and have my eye on him, than have him roaming around doing whatever he wants,” Haru snapped acridly.

 

Rin sniffed at the words, not bothering to form a retort as he disinterestedly watched Haru turn away to head for his private room.

 

He stifled the simmering anger in his stomach, letting the doorway take the pressure off his mind as he clenched his fist and slammed it down onto the wooden frame. He sucked in a shaky breath, closing his eyes as he leaned back into the doorway, letting himself slowly slide down, exhaustion crawling under his skin and into his bones, until he was sitting on the floor with one leg outstretched and one leg folded up against his chest.

 

It was silent inside Haru's home, only the wind rustling against the trees and the chirping of crickets being heard coming from the outside. It was silent, and peaceful, until he laughed; the sound tasting bitter on his tongue as he raised a hand to push away the strands of hair falling in his face. “Keep your enemies closer, huh,” he muttered, looking out at the moonlit forest with a wry smile.

 

Haru at least had one thing right. Even if Rin had grown to accept the animal inside of him and learned to control it, it didn't mean that he was any less dangerous than before. He already knew what he wanted, and it was a perilous thing to even think of getting in the way of a territorial animal. If anything, it would be safer for him to remain with Haru than to seek out his family now.

 

Laughably enough, that sort of thing could almost make it seem like they had their own family. A dysfunctional one at the most, considering how he and Haru wanted the same person- but Rin could try to live with it. Accepting the animal inside him meant that he had a better control over it, so he could surely do something about keeping his desires in check.

 

He’d manage, for Makoto’s sake and his own.


End file.
